Likely due to some well publicized successes, the concept of startup acceleration has spread like wildfire over the past decade. This idea — nurturing nascent innovators for a small slice of the pie — has developed worldwide. Every cluster of startups that considers itself an ecosystem needs at least one accelerator to take itself seriously. The first Middle Eastern accelerator, Jordan’s Oasis500, saw the light of day in 2010. Lebanon’s first accelerator, Seeqnce, launched its first batch of startups in 2012 but then disbanded soon after the group graduated. Since Seeqnce was established, many calls have been made for a new accelerator as something badly needed for the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Finally, a well meaning and perhaps a little exasperated group of individuals from Bader, Berytech, Lebanon for Entrepreneurs and Middle East Venture Partners came together to create Lebanon’s second accelerator, Speed@BDD, which will launch its first round of acceleration in
